What's in my toolbox?

Coaching is a process between two people which helps the person being coached attain their goals much faster than they would on their own. It also helps clients to gain new insights into themselves. Coaching is often responsible for producing those 'aha' moments and shedding light on situations in a way you had never seen them before.

It is supportive, amazingly empowering and gets great results – if you have the right coach.

What sort of Coach are you?

I am a genuine, warm, intuitive and supportive coach and insist on our sessions being fun. I am extremely passionate about working with others. My results are your results – and I want you to be the best you can be.

I will sometimes challenge you and will offer help if I feel you are struggling. When working with me I'll ask you to commit fully to the process – but I do it with a smile and you will find me encouraging and empathetic rather than pushy.

I am not a tree-hugger nor am I into 'angels' - I am a down to earth and practical coach, with a sense of humour, who cares enough to expect the best from myself and my clients.

Coaching success

Coaching is growing in popularity and around 80% of the top 100 FTSE companies use coaching nowadays. Personal life coaching has also grown in popularity in recent years as people realise the benefits to be gained from having a Life Coach.

According to the 2009 ICF Global Coaching Client Study, companies that have used coaching for their business have seen a median return on investment of seven times their initial investment.

What is NLP?

NLP is a system whereby anyone can change their patterns of mental and emotional behaviour – yes anyone. NLP has been used worldwide to address problems usually dealt with by years of psychotherapy, such as phobias, depression, psychosomatic illnesses and addictions.

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It was first developed at the University of California by Richard Bandler (who was studying mathematics and gestalt therapy) and John Grinder Ph.D (who was a University lecturer in linguistics).

NLP is concerned with the relationship between successful patterns of behaviour and the patterns of thought underlying them. By identifying what made certain therapists and therapies successful, Bandler and Grinder developed a new system whereby anyone could potentially have better, fuller and richer lives.

The term "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" refers to the connection between the neurological processes (neuro), language (linguistic) and behavioural patterns that have been learned through experience (programming) and can be organized to achieve specific goals in life.

Now NLP has gained popularity within the personal development and business realms and has been used by top businessmen and managers, famous sports stars and anyone who wants to be at the top of their game.

How do I know it will work?

If you are a human being, and you are equipped with a neurological system and an imagination, then as long as you are willing, that's really all that I need to start helping you.

DBT

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) was devised by Marsha M. Linehan, a psychology researcher at the University of Washington.

It was originally developed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder sufferers, who are notoriously hard to treat – but it was found to be so effective that it is now used to treat various symptoms and behaviours, such as mood disorders, depression, eating disorders, drug and alcohol problems and self-harm.

It can be used to change any behaviour that is not serving you to meet your long-term goals.

EFT and Thought Field Therapy

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is sometimes described as "energy psychology". It was developed from Thought Field Therapy and involves the tapping of acupuncture points to lessen physically or emotionally painful experiences.

MRI scans have shown that stimulating acupuncture points on the skin lessens activity in the areas of the brain responsible for pain, and eFT has been scientifically proven to reduce stress. During an EFT session, you hold a painful problem in mind, and tap on specific acupuncture points on your body. Since the mind and body are connected, simultaneously recalling the difficult problem and using tapping to block the pain response positively re-encodes your experience at the emotional level.

I have found EFT to be extremely useful in treating anxiety disorders, anger problems and stress in particular, especially where clients have tried other treatments that have not been successful.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a focused and goal-oriented technique, designed to help people change their behaviours by exploring and resolving ambivalence. It is designed to find motivation from within, based on consistency with your own values and goals.

It was an approach in part developed by clinical psychologists Professor William R Miller, Ph.D. and Professor Stephen Rollnick, Ph.D and is supported by over 80 clinical trials across a range of behaviours, including substance abuse, health-promotion behaviours and mental health issues.

Motivational interviewing can also be used within businesses to facilitate processes such as change.

Solution-Focused Therapy

Solution focused therapy is based upon social constructionist philosophy, focusing on present successes and future goals. This approach uses the client's own resources, brings greater awareness of their strengths and uses these to move towards the ideal future in steps. Briefly, it focuses on solutions rather than problems.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotic language is just a way to enable you comfortably relax and it enables you to tap into your inner resources more easily. I will not make you 'sleep' in the formal hypnosis sense. It is not necessary for change to occur and I prefer to work with you when you're awake.

Mentoring

I use mentoring when you are stuck on something specific and actually want some advice from someone who has been there. I have worn many T-shirts in my life so I am a good source of advice if this is what you require.